Max Landis Suggests He May Be Working on a CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON Remake

In what may well be the most devastating piece of news this writer has seen since the results of the 2016 election, it appears that Max Landis might be working on a remake of the 1954 classic, Creature From The Black Lagoon.

The news - tenuous though it may be! - comes to us from The Playlist, who describe the following exchange between a curious Redditor and the critically-acclaimed writer of such films as Bright (Rotten Tomatoes score: 26%), Victor Frankenstein (Rotten Tomatoes score: 24%) and American Ultra (Rotten Tomatoes score: 43%):

"A Reddit user went to the Max Landis sub-reddit ... and decided to ask the question, “Is Max Landis writing a Creature From the Black Lagoon remake?” You may be wondering how the Redditor came to the conclusion. Well, in an aforementioned Instagram Story, Landis gave some abbreviations for his current slate. He used “AWIL,” which clearly stands for American Werewolf in London. Then he used “CFBL.” This Reddit user came to the conclusion it must be Creature from the Black Lagoon.”

"Ha ha," you laugh, the nervous hysteria already creeping into your voice, "Why, that acronym could mean just about anything. Perhaps we should not jump to conclusions! The world is cruel, but surely it cannot be this cruel!"

"In the same thread, Landis ... posted his reply, “Damn man.” He then goes on to further explain how his schedule is looking right now, “Stuff is working at a more normal speed right now, so things will be along on a more normal schedule."

If Max Landis is, indeed, working on a new version of Creature From The Black Lagoon, one can't help but wonder about the state of Universal's Dark Universe, which was basically pronounced dead following the disastrous response to last year's The Mummy. Rumors have circulated that Universal might not be completely out of that particular game (for a while there, the word on the street had Blumhouse taking over the project, producing a series of Universal Monster updates that'd be delivered on much lower budgets than the one afforded to The Mummy), so we suppose it's not entirely out of the question.

It's also possible, in the wake of the runaway success of Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water, that someone decided they'd like to try to replicate that Oscar-winning film's success, perhaps with a less romantic sheen. Maybe even something a bit more action heavy? It wasn't long ago that Universal had a draft for a Creature From The Black Lagoon remake that was, much like The Mummy, more of an action-horror joint (it ended, I shit you not, with the Dark Universe's Mr. Hyde landing a helicopter in the jungle and asking the Creature and the lovely scientist who'd saved him if they'd like to come work in his secret lab). So, again: could be.

Of course a remake of Creature From The Black Lagoon won't erase the original, nor our memories of it. Of course it's possible that this is yet another screenplay Max Landis decided to write in his spare time, just for funsies. Of course there's nothing to be done about it even if Universal is considering such a thing. Doesn't mean we have to be happy about it. Let's just hope for the best.

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Scott Wampler is an online film blogger, Podcast host, and man of constant sorrow living in Austin, TX. His likes include CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, the filmography of David Lynch, and the conspicuous consumption of alcohol. Dislikes include people and unfrosted Pop-Tarts.